He died listening to the score of one of his favourite movies, 1952's The Quiet Man.

The American-Canadian filmmaker is best known for his films about an imagined zombie apocalypse, most notably the movie Night of the Living Dead.

His other works also included Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.

Known as the Godfather of the Dead, Romero previously said he wanted to make the most of the "bizarre".

His cult classic Night of the Living Dead was made for just USD $114,000 - £87,000 - and made USD $30m, paving the way for the horror genre and other popular zombie-inspired shows including The Walking Dead.